Daughter of the Nine Moons
Seanchan Bio for Ruan Andradem Shoa Paendrag, Daughter of the Nine Moons Player: Winter Mist Appearance: Height: 5’ 2” Weight: 104lbs Hair: Shaved Eyes: Brown Complexion: Dark Build: Slender From the secret journal of Ruan Andradem Shoa Paendrag: '' ''No doubt my story will not be remembered if all things fail. That is how history goes, recorded by the winners in shades of overenthusiastic glory to paint themselves in the best light to their peers and the commons alike. I will not be remembered like that. The Ever-Victorious Army bears the name it does because it knows how to wage war. Defeats in battle are occasionally inevitable, but one must learn from the mistake and move on, improving the gaps in one’s defences so that the next time it is not there. That is how I have to operate. That is how I have had to survive thus far, and that is the reason that I, Ruan Andradem Shoa Paendrag, am the Daughter of the Nine Moons and heir to the Crystal Throne of Seanchan, and my siblings are not. Favour is not a thing taken lightly. Policies and politics in any noble House all know this, and I have had to learn this lesson the hard way – it usually comes with a knife in the back or a fall from a high window, or some slow-acting poison. We are all schooled from birth to conspire against those we love - to our deaths, or their own. We are all encouraged to be the best examples of what Seanchan can produce. Thus I availed myself of every subject and art that was available to me so I could work to my best advantage, even those that my brothers and sisters did not. Every single piece of knowledge is power. We all grew up long before others usually do. The Court of the Nine Moons is not a place for children. My mother the Empress, might she live forever, needs to know that should anything ill befall her, the Empire is in the best of hands. To that end, we schemed and plotted amongst ourselves for both favour and survival. It is testament to my skill that I am still alive, given some of the stories from my history. Once, I managed to foil the plot of one of my closest older sisters, one in whom I had confided when I had been scared or felt alone. Everyone has moments of weakness, yet in my youthful inexperience I did not expect such behaviour. I should have known that when I discovered her plotting my defenestration from a window that was being renovated. I managed to thwart her plot by listening carefully to what she said and what she did not say, and I managed to convince the workmen repairing the window that my sister was the one with malicious intent, and that for the good of the Seanchan Empire my sister should be the one ejected. It was a grievous accident, and I grieved along with my other siblings while secretly relieved that part of the competition had been removed. '' I was nine years of age, and such was my initiation into the world I would one day rule.'' The Court of the Nine Moons is a mercurial place, where rank is bestowed and removed on a seeming whim. All of us strive for a higher name and to better ourselves for the good of the Empress, might she live forever. I devoted myself to my studies, sleeping lightly, and training myself with the knife and the bow and the use of the only other weapon a woman in my station would be best equipped with; my wits. I also learnt hand-to-hand combat for the rare occasions I might have been overwhelmed where I had no weapon with which to defend myself. There are few I trust, far too few, but if I give myself the luxury of trust I may as well lay down on the ground and allow everyone to walk over me. I do not let my guard down; I cannot afford to. I discovered that I had a talent for training damane and I seized the opportunity eagerly. If you but look around the kennels I keep, you will know that my damane are devoted and obedient: it does not reflect well on a person of my standing to have unruly damane, but I am not an overly harsh mistress. I am as hard as I need to be, and as a result I have some of the most proficient in the Empire. As an obvious result of my watchfulness I do not sleep much, and this gives me ample time for me to pursue a secret pleasure. For the most part, I read or train, but there are some times that this is not enough. I have a curiosity about the world. Oh, I have been educated in all the things, including those that are supposed to be aesthetically pleasing such as flower arrangements and exotics, but I sometimes feel the constraints of a palace more dangerous than the roughest palace for all its exquisite courtesy. Take heed, I do not indulge in this regularly, but I firmly believe that to understand more of those one rules, one needs to occasionally visit the same kind of places that would be frequented by those of a lower name. I disguise myself, and evade anyone set to follow me, and head to places where I can watch dancing and revelry. I have often wondered what it means to dance. That such a thing is below my station is irrelevant: these are my thoughts and they will not be shared with anyone unless an event of some magnitude deems it necessary. For now, I watch for signs and I prepare myself for the Corenne. We will take back what is rightfully ours. My twentieth naming day dawns, and I am proclaimed the current favourite child and the Daughter of the Nine Moons. Attempts to remove me from the position have all failed, usually backfiring and resulting in the demise of more of my siblings, yet I continue to be vigilant. The ships will sail soon. The Return will begin. 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